Jean-Marie Chaland's Macon and Viré Whites

Jean-Marie is based the Macon’s Viré zone, now one of the hottest appellations in all of Burgundy.

Production is small - some 3500 cases made each year. Founded in 1967, the estate went totally organic over twenty years ago, and the vine’s average age is over fifty years.

Mâcon-Villages “Les Tilles” 2022
From a tiny plot on a limestone-rich plateau, Les Tilles, made in tank, sees no oak at all. Steely, vibrant and lemon-zesty, this pale-colored wine is sneaky rich. Your nose will pick up scents of limestone, while the finish overdelivers for Macon-Villages. $32.00

Viré-Clessé Vieilles Vignes 2022
A “step up” in complexity, Jean-Marie’s “old vines” (vielles vignes) bottling shows a brooding character in the glass: both lush and wired with an appealing tension. The 56 year-old vines thrive in Viré’s Montbellet soil, noted for a strong thread of iron in its limestone base. White-fruited and lovely today (and on day two), the old vines from 2022 will be terrific for the next four to five years. $35.00

Viré-Clessé “La Forétille” 2021 
This higher elevation (450 meters) limestone and clay site is located between Viré and Clessé. La Forétille ‘21, a, dry, chalky wine, is rather more like a white burgundy from Chablis. Finesse and salinity are combined with a finely balanced, spright acidity making for a mouth-watering wine akin to terroir a bit south of the town of Beaune. $40.00